Porn Star Belladonna went in one night from one of the industry's hottest starlets to one of its most controversial. A January 2003 appearance on the TV news magazine '20/20' that centered on Belladonna made her the hot topic in porn circles, with colleagues and producers expressing bewilderment at what the report contained. The truth, however, remains elusive. Is Belladonna a naive young girl who was hoodwinked into becoming an anal queen, or is she a sex-crazed go-getter dabbling in a little revisionist personal history?
A few things are not in dispute. Belladonna was born in Utah in 1982. Her father was a retired Air Force captain and former bishop in the Mormon Church. As such, she grew up in a strictly Mormon household from which she couldn't wait to break free. At the age of eighteen, she moved to Los Angeles with the idea of becoming a nude model. When that didn't quite work out, she decided to make the leap into porn. Her fabulicious natural curves and cute, gap-toothed good looks made an instant impression, as did her numerous large tattoos. Belladonna looked every inch the wild woman out for over-the-top action.
This is where things get controversial. Belladonna's first feature was 2000's 'Real Sex Magazine 31,' and she maintains that she had no idea that she would be required to perform any anal sex when she first walked on the set. It was only through much convincing from the producers that she relented and took part in what she claims was her first anal experience ever. Her former agent counters that Belladonna actually suggested the anal action because she was so revved up by Chris Cannon's erotic exertions. Where's the truth? Who can tell?
Belladonna quickly climbed the ladder of hardcore success, establishing herself as one of the most enthusiastic and adventurous performers on the scene. Despite her claims that she had to be talked into anal sex, Belladonna became one of the undisputed anal queens on the scene, delving into the nastiest, most unhinged back door boffing with utter passion and high energy. She never shied away from anything on screen and came across as someone who truly reveled in sex at its wildest and rawest. At least that's the way it came across to viewers. In her '20/20' piece, Belladonna claimed that she really was never into any of it, and was merely counting the seconds until the scenes were over. Frankly, anyone who has seen this gal in action will have a very hard time believing that she wasn't genuinely into it, though.
Belladonna met her fiance Nacho Vidal while in Prague shooting 'Buttwoman Iz Belladonna,' her first flick playing the titular character. Not only did she meet her future lover, but Belladonna turned in one of the hottest performances of her career, trysting with all comers in scene after scene of utter carnal mayhem. It's rough-edged, raw hardcore that Belladonna certainly seems genuinely into to every minute of. She later claimed to have been shocked at Nacho Vidal's rough approach to the scene, although his reputation is well known throughout the U.S. and European industries.
In the '20/20' piece, Belladonna stated that she left the business and moved back to Utah after a bad experience on one of her first flicks, 'Gang Bang Girl 29.' The prison-centered twelve man gang bang allegedly made her rethink her whole porn career, and she moved back home to reassess her life. Other sources contradict her account. Far from being one of her first flicks, they counter, 'Gang Bang Girl 29.' was almost her 100th. And she didn't have to be talked into it -- she actually suggested it. She really moved back to Utah because of troubles with her then-boyfriend Vince Voyeur, and came back to the business because she couldn't stay away. Wherever the truth really lies, watching Belladonna in action in this flick certainly will convince you that she's enjoying herself. For someone who claims to have felt nothing but revulsion throughout the shoot, Belladonna sure does get into it -- it's among the most high energy group gropes we've ever seen. Whatever the truth, she ended up coming back to L.A. and resuming her AVN Award-winning career.
Ultimately, it is hard to reconcile Belladonna's news magazine claims with what we know about her carnal career. She has always been considered one of the most sexually aggressive and adventurous women on the scene, an anal queen who truly seemed to revel in sex at its most intense. She claims to have hated working in porn, yet she shot over 100 features and came across as loving every minute of it. She claims to have been shocked at Nacho Vidal's rough treatment, yet she worked in lots of similarly rough flicks with Vince Voyeur and company, and ended up getting engaged to Nacho Vidal's.
So what to make of Belladonna's recent revelations? Is she a self-serving revisionist looking to make herself look better to mainstream agents? Is she actually a shy, retiring gal who never liked porn at all and was simply gritting her teeth through her scenes? While those of us on the outside may never know the real story, the facts seem to point one definite way. What these revelations will do to Belladonna's career is still a mystery, as well. Only time will tell what happens to what has become one of porn's most controversial characters.
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